Although the PlayStation 4 drew most of the attention at E3 2013, Sony’s other systems had a few highlights of their own. The PlayStation 3 boasted Gran Turismo 6 and Beyond: Two Souls. Meanwhile, the PlayStation Vita, which will be… Continue Reading →

Although the PlayStation 4 drew most of the attention at E3 2013, Sony’s other systems had a few highlights of their own. The PlayStation 3 boastedGran Turismo 6 and Beyond: Two Souls. Meanwhile, the PlayStation Vita, which will be integrated with the PlayStation 4, has at least two big games on the docket.

The first is Tearaway, the latest title from LittleBigPlanet creator Media Molecule. It’s a game that breaks the fourth wall as fans control a character called the Messenger who is trying to deliver a letter to you, the player. To be more specific, the missive is what makes up the Messenger’s head.

Much like Patapon, you are a deity to the people of Tearaway. Players even appear in the papercrafted sun via the Vita’s front-facing camera. It’s a novel way to use the platform and indicative of Media Molecule effort to fill the game with thoughtful gameplay innovations tailored to the system.

INNOVATIVE GAMEPLAY: The best example of that is the how the team uses the rear touchpad. By touching the back of the Vita, players can interact with the world ripping into the diaphanous white paper on the screen. It’s a magical effect as the system also uses the rear camera to also capture the shadows of your fingers moving beneath the handheld. Punching a hole in the world, your fingers can move objects to create a bridge or help defeat enemies. On the front of the touch screen, fans can open curtains or press down objects. (They just have to look for the fingerpint markings on an object.) It’s a versatile tool for puzzle-solving and combat.

The Messenger itself can traverse the world and collect confetti, which is used as part of the in-game economy. The paper scraps can be used to customize the character and parts of the world. The relationship between the Messenger and player almost makes it feel co-op in a way. It’s a buddy game.

YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN PAPER TROPHIES: Lead designer Rex Crowle said the designers used virtual paper to build the world and its three themed regions. The goal was to create a game that you could make in real-life using paper, he said. “We want to inspire you to build things in the real world.” And to that effect, the game will have trophies that players can print out and build themselves using scissors and glue. That certainly fulfills that craft ethos that Media Molecule projects tend to have.

And for those wondering if Tearaway will support different skin tones and genders, yes it will. The game asks questions about you. Depending on those answers, it will have an effect on how you appear in the game world, making that immersion deeper. If you have stubby fingers like myself, they’ll appear that way. If you have slender ladylike fingers with painted nails, I suppose they’ll cover that, too. I’m still not sure about Lana Kane hands though …

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GAME ON THE VITA: The other title I saw was the most beautiful created on the Vita. Killzone: Mercenary shows what kind of power the handheld has. Developed by Guerrilla Cambridge, Mercenary puts players in the shoes of Arran Danner, a gun for hire, around the time of the original game. In this spinoff, the structure of the game is different as everything is money-driven and players can fight alongside the ISA or Helghast.

Every time a player eliminates a target, Danner gets paid money no matter if he is the single-player campaign or multiplayer mode. Those funds are used to buy new weapons, which can be added to loadouts in both modes. With that in mind, the game is built with replayability in mind. It features a nine-mission campaign with each chapter taking 40 minutes to an hour to complete. In addition, there are different contract types to take and that requires different gear each time. Sometimes players may want to go stealth; other times they’ll opt for the heavy firepower.

MULTIPLAYER MODE: On the multiplayer side, Mercenary features six maps and matches that go up to four versus four. Players can go at it in free for all, team deathmatch or warzone, which is a mix of several different game types.

The last thing to note is that Mercenary has weapons that take advantage of the touchscreen. One of those is the Porcupine Missile, which is fired by tapping people on the touchscreen. It’s a powerful weapon and just scratches the number of creative firearms in the title.

Tearaway for the PlayStation Vita is scheduled for release this year. Killzone: Mercenary is set to head out to fans in September.

]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/07/06/yep-more-proof-that-ghostbusters-coming-to-littlebigplanet/feed/0GhostbustersGDC09: Early vid of LittleBigPlanethttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/03/27/gdc09-early-vid-of-littlebigplanet/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/03/27/gdc09-early-vid-of-littlebigplanet/#commentsFri, 27 Mar 2009 15:05:49 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=12886If you ever wonder what went into making LittleBigPlanet, here’s an early look at the creation process of this game. At a GDC, Alex Evans, the technical director at Media Molecule, and Mark Healey, the creative director, talked about the… Continue Reading →

If you ever wonder what went into making LittleBigPlanet, here’s an early look at the creation process of this game. At a GDC, Alex Evans, the technical director at Media Molecule, and Mark Healey, the creative director, talked about the successes and pitfalls that went into making LittleBigPlanet.

Among the interesting tidbits: The game was originally going to be in 3D with what Evans calls a ribbony element. Second, the original plot of the LittleBigPlanet was that each level would be a fairy tale from around the world, very multicultural. Third, all of the Media Molecule levels you played were made using the tools on the PS3. They didn’t cheat. The level designers played fair and created each level with their own editor, including the last one and the giant wheel o’ death.

We’ve been playing the LittleBigPlanet beta for a while now, and we’re constantly amazed with the stuff we keep seeing. But unfortunately, those great user-generated levels may be erased with the end of the beta. (It’s coming soon folks —… Continue Reading →

We’ve been playing the LittleBigPlanet beta for a while now, and we’re constantly amazed with the stuff we keep seeing. But unfortunately, those great user-generated levels may be erased with the end of the beta. (It’s coming soon folks — October 12th at 23:59 GMT.)

And if you need more convincing, here are our favorite user-created levels so far.

Mirrors Edge by evolution 7354: Like a lot of my favorite levels, these creations are based on other works. This level is based off Mirror’s Edge and I have to say that the parkour-esque gameplay lends itself to the platforming madness of LittleBigPlanet. The level is almost like a time trial. Players have race through and avoid falling to keep the points that wind down.

The game retains the rooftop jumping, the ducking under beams and the cable gliding in the Electronic Arts game. The creator even adds the Runner Vision red, which makes the level simple and beautiful

Green Hill Zone has multiple paths and diverse set of enemies. It even manages to get in the loop de loop’s and swerving tunnels in the first level using vehicles. It’s cleverly done. There a few hitches here and there, but nonetheless, the level works amazingly well.

Little Big Colossus by Daniesan88: What’s so amazing about this level is the difficulty in making the final boss. Players begin at the bottom and jump over flaming pits. Later, they ride Agro across that memorable bridge and enter a temple.

There are some clever elements here like a switch that clues players in how to activate it with a drawing on the wall. But as I said before, it’s the enormity and complicated nature of the final boss that made me drop my jaws. I still don’t know how Danielsan88 did it, but he did it.

Little Big Ninja Warrior by Burning_Out: This is one a many levels based on this television show Ninja Warrior. I actually prefer the Sakura edition. What’s notable in this level is the care taken in recreating a lot of the obstacles from the show. Fans will notice some famous hurdles such as the barrel roll.

PS3 vs. 360 by B_ran_do: One of the fun things, I love about LittleBigPlanet is that it’s a new way for fanboys to profess their love for their system of choice. In this one, B_ran_do asks players to choose their favorite console, and if you choose correctly (It isn’t hard to guess the right answer.), you rack up a high score and get some nice goodies at the end.

Now, I’m just waiting for the first marriage proposal via LittleBigPlanet. You know it’s coming if it hasn’t happened already.

Heist series by Jiggles: The Heist series is probably one of the best set of original levels for LittleBigPlanet. The first level is pretty simple. You rob a bank and get away using a car. It’s fairly simple.

But in Heist part 2, things get more interesting as players end up getting arrested in a paddy wagon and end up in jail There’s even a mug shot portion as you enter jail. Just the amount of stuff Jiggles manages to do is amazing and best of all, he does it within the context of the story he is trying to tell. It’s a treat if anyone is looking for something truly original.

To play it, players have to drag this block across the level. While the block is moving, the music on the blocks is activated. It’s pretty ingenius now if they could just do it for a popular rock song …

Sweet Child O’ Mine by Nic_fuzzeh: OK, this answers my request. Nic_fuzzeh does the beginning of Sweet Child O’ Mine. It’s not the whole song. It’s just the beginning.

This is done at a faster pace so it seems as if Nic_fuzzeh uses a rocket car to push you through the level. The only thing holding him back from playing the whole song is the length of the leel (and maybe copyright laws.) Here’s some advice: Don’t do any Metallica songs. Lars Ulrich will personally find you and sue the pants off you.